Welcome to SLPath.com
Speech Language Pathology Resources

The field of speech-language pathology has changed dramatically in the last twenty-five years. In the early days of speech-language pathology, our primary focus was on working with children who demonstrate sound disorders. Our caseloads now include children who have language-learning disabilities, children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome, children who require support in literacy, as well as students with voice, fluency or dysphagia needs. Professional development opportunities abound to increase our knowledge in these areas.

Despite these other developments, it is critical to stay current in the treatment of articulation and phonological disorders. According to the 2006 ASHA Schools Survey, 91% of school-based SLPs treat children with such needs. Private and hospital-based SLPs report similar trends.

The historical practice of teaching one sound at a time in developmental sequence to children with unintelligible speech has been turned on its head. Current research suggests that teaching complex, nonstimulable and later-developing sounds yields more change in a child's system. For children with one or two sounds in error, motor learning strategies lead to increased intelligibility, shorter treatment time and a more expedient dismissal.

This web site features resources to help you utilize the most current thinking and approaches to treat children with mild articulation errors and those with significant phonological disorders. These resources include assessment tools, treatment ideas, homework sheets, article summaries, links to other online resources and forums to discuss the implementation of these strategies. We hope that you find this web site to be valuable and that our resources support you as your students become more effective communicators.

Jennifer Taps, M.A., CCC-SLP